Maldives makes major push to treat homeless addict population
Government says 350 people are receiving treatment as part of an expanding drug-rehabilitation drive amid rising concerns over addiction among Maldivian youth
MALE, Maldives (MNTV) — The Maldivian government has launched an expanded drug-rehabilitation campaign that includes bringing hundreds of homeless people with substance-use disorders into treatment, Home Minister Ali Ihusaan said as the administration marked two years in office.
The announcement comes amid growing concern that drug addiction has become one of the country’s most urgent public-health and social-protection challenges.
Speaking in an interview with state-run Public Service Media (PSM), Ihusaan said that roughly 350 homeless individuals with drug addictions are currently receiving treatment at a newly established Drug Remand Center housed at a halfway facility in Hulhumalé. Many of those taken into care were living on the streets of the capital region.
According to the minister, addressing drug dependency — particularly among youth — has been a core priority for the government. He said that when the current administration took office, around 700 people with Drug Court treatment orders were not receiving rehabilitation, leaving a major gap in enforcement and public health services.
A nationwide operation is now under way to identify individuals with existing treatment orders and bring them into rehabilitation facilities, Ihusaan said.
“Alongside this, a remand center has been established at the Hulhumalé halfway house, where 350 drug-addicted beggars of various age groups are now receiving treatment after being identified and taken into care,” he said.
Drug addiction has long posed a complex challenge in the Maldives, where densely populated urban islands, limited rehabilitation infrastructure, and the country’s position along regional trafficking routes have created an environment vulnerable to substance-use disorders.
Public-health experts have warned that without expanded treatment capacity, the cycle of arrest, short-term detention, and relapse will remain entrenched.
Ihusaan said the government is now working to expand its rehabilitation system by developing new centers in Velidhoo, Kaashidhoo, and Gan, three islands selected to increase nationwide access to long-term treatment programs.
Once operational, he said, residents can expect “results they have been asking for,” including improved reintegration services for individuals convicted of drug-related offenses.
The government has not released detailed timelines for the opening of the new facilities, but officials say the expansion is part of a broader plan to shift Maldives’ drug-policy approach toward treatment and rehabilitation rather than repeated incarceration
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